The Sunshine of Friendship
by FairySphere
Summary: On a day like today, it was not the warm sun that tickled the girl's fancy. On a day like today, it was the fresh, crisp air that tickled the verdant green grass and the scent of sweet lavender that came along with it.


On a day like today, it was not the warm sun that tickled the girl's fancy. On a day like today, it was the fresh, crisp air that tickled the verdant green grass and the scent of sweet lavender that came along with it. The Pokémon of the ranch seemed to enjoy it too, as they became much more energetic and thus a little a more difficult to handle.

Carefully tying her wavy brown ponytail into place, the tanned girl picked up the bucket of freshly picked berries and carried it to the slew of Mareep waiting by the gate. She was followed at her heels by the friendly warm yip of an Eevee while a shy Budew perched on her shoulder soaking up some sun. "Hold on! Hold on!" She laughed as she opened the gate and let the bleating Mareep out. The fluffy Electric-type Pokémon trotted out and sat on the grass waiting patiently to receive their share.

The bucket was set down on the ground and the girl unshouldered her green bag, taking care not to knock off her poor Budew. She carefully counted the bowls, one, two, three…yes, ten! And began to set them out. When the first eight were on the ground by their respective Mareep, she began to poor the berries in by the handful, wagging her finger to tell them _no, not yet!_ One Mareep bleated in irritation at this.

Finally, with the bucket empty and all bowls filled, the girl took the whistle at her neck and blew on it. Instantly, the Mareep dove at their fill. She couldn't help but laugh out how some of them bumped into each other to try and steal from each other's bowls.

She walked a short distance away and sat down upon a stone jutting out the ground, setting down the remaining two bowls before fishing around in her bag for a moment. The Budew hopped off her shoulder and joined the Eevee on the ground, watching their trainer as she brought out a plastic bag with a single, delicious word on it.

Poffins.

The Eevee bounced excitedly on his back feet as she filled their bowls with the delicious treat just for them, diving in the moment his bowl was filled. The Budew simply swayed from side to side contently, waiting until her bowl was filled before she began to nibble at the food. The trainer sat back on the rock and once again reached into her bag, pulling out a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for herself.

Happily, she sighed for both the day and her Pokémon while licking the corner of her mouth for the bit of jelly that had gotten smeared there. Both her Eevee and Budew seemed just as happy, as well the Mareep. She really couldn't ask for anything better.

It was funny, though. Looking at her Eevee and Budew, the surfaces of their bodies seemed a bit more vibrant than usual. Strange, considering that the sun wasn't particularly intense today. As they continued to eat, this sheen only seemed to intensify until they almost seemed to be coated by a faint light. The girl narrowed her eyes at this and was about to ask her Pokémon if they were okay before they were suddenly engulfed by a great white light.

The girl's eyes widened in shock as, slowly, both her Pokémon grew bigger and changed shape, all the while still eating their Poffins. She couldn't see their colors, but it looked as though her Budew had sprouted arms tipped with roses while her Eevee's body slimmed, with his tail becoming thin and forked. She dropped her half-eaten sandwich to the ground, dumbfounded that her Pokémon had suddenly decided to evolve before her very eyes.

When the light faded, her Eevee and Budew were no more. Instead, an Espeon and Roselia had taken their place, the Roselia rubbing her stomach contently at her finished meal. The two Pokémon looked up at their trainer curiously, tilting their heads in worry at her expression. The girl was silent for a moment.

Then, she positively burst out laughing.

"Espeon! Roselia!" She cried out happily while getting up and running to her Pokémon. Espeon and Roselia squealed with delight as she picked them up and spun them around in her arms. The Mareep looking over with confusion, wondering what had happened to make their trainer so happy.

On a day like today, it was not the warm sun that tickled the girl's fancy. On a day like today, it was the fresh, crisp air that tickled the verdant green grass and the scent of sweet lavender that came along with it. But that was ignoring the joy that came with spending time with her Pokémon as well.

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 **A/N** : Despite mostly writing for the Odin Sphere fandom these days, I woke up with a strange desire to write a short fanfic that focuses on the friendship between trainers and their Pokémon, as well as about how it contributes to their evolution. And what better way to write such a story than for the two Pokemon to be from my favorite evolutionary families; the Eevee and Budew ones? This fanfic wasn't meant to be anything particularly special, but I hope that you enjoyed it all the same!


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